The Importance of Being Acceptable – Psychiatric Staffs’ Talk about Women Patients in Forensic Care

Controlling emotions—nurses’ lived experiences caring for patients in forensic psychiatry

“…Being exposed to threats, violence, and provocative behaviour was described by all the nurses, and this can contribute to a distance in the nurse-patient relationship. Consistently, patients' ability to follow the rules and not showing aggressive behaviour is deemed acceptable patient behaviour in the eyes of nurses (Eivergard et al, 2018).…”

“…Working in forensic psychiatry means providing nursing care for long periods. Patients who are calm are often perceived as accepting of the care given and following the rules according to Eivergard, Enmarker, Livholts, Alex, and Hellzen (2018). Nurses often expressed being frustrated by not being able to reach patients or make progress in their treatment.…”

Subordinated masculinities: A critical inquiry into reproduction of gender norms in handovers and rounds in a forensic psychiatric care

“…In all types of nursing care, verbal handovers and ward rounds are important events (Buus et al., 2017; Matic, Davidson, & Salamonson, 2011). In psychiatric practice in particular, such handovers and rounds are central in producing knowledge about patients, whose mental states are assessed during observations of their behaviour, activities and speech, all of which depend upon context (Buus, 2006; Eivergård, Enmarker, Livholts, Aléx, & Hellzén, 2018; Scovell, 2010). In verbal handovers and ward rounds, language plays an important role as a tool for conveying information (Hedegaard, 2019; Salzmann‐Eriksson, 2018).…”

“…In language as such, gender operates as an overall categorising principle (Hedegaard, 2019; Kumpula, Gustavsson, & Ekstrand, 2018; Mercer & Perkins, 2014; Perron & Holmes, 2011). For that reason, the perceptions of patients in general are constructed from normative, context‐bound perspectives about how women and men should behave, act and talk (Eivergård et al., 2018; Hamilton & Manias, 2006)—that is, how they should or do perform gender (Butler, 2007).…”

“…In other recent work, Eivergård et al. (2018) revealed that when discussing women in forensic care, healthcare staff would refer to feminine norms about how the women should behave in order to become acceptable. For instance, if the women acted aggressively or were inadequately dressed, then the staff would deliberate disciplinary strategies that might normalise their behaviour.…”